A prototype of a platform by Israel's REE Automotive, developers of a rolling chassis for electric vehicles, is seen near their logo at their offices in Tel Aviv, Israel September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Nir Elias

The Sony Vision-S prototype electric vehicle, designed to showcase Sony's advanced electronics technologies, is displayed during the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

The Sony Vision-S prototype electric vehicle, designed to showcase Sony's advanced electronics technologies, is displayed during the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

The Sony Vision-S prototype electric vehicle, designed to showcase Sony's advanced electronics technologies, is displayed during the 2020 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

An Argo Ai self driving prototype vehicle is seen outside a Ford and Volkswagen joint news conference in New York City, New York, U.S., July 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar

An Argo Ai self driving prototype vehicle is seen outside a Ford and Volkswagen joint news conference in New York City, New York, U.S., July 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar

An Argo Ai self driving prototype vehicle is seen outside a Ford and Volkswagen joint news conference in New York City, New York, U.S., July 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar

An Argo Ai self driving prototype vehicle is seen outside a Ford and Volkswagen joint news conference in New York City, New York, U.S., July 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar

During initial tests of their 8.1-metre tall reusable rocket, Chinese engineers from LinkSpace, a start-up led by China's youngest space entrepreneur, used a Kevlar tether to ensure its safe return. Just in case. But when the Beijing-based company's prototype, called NewLine Baby, successfully took off and landed last week for the second time in two months, no tether was needed. The 1.5-tonne rocket hovered 40 metres above the ground before descending back to its concrete launch pad after 30 seconds, to the relief of 26-year-old chief executive Hu Zhenyu and his engineers - one of whom cartwheeled his way to the launch pad in delight. LinkSpace, one of China's 15-plus private rocket manufacturers, sees these short hops as the first steps towards a new business model: sending tiny, inexpensive satellites into orbit at affordable prices. Demand for these so-called nanosatellites - which weigh less than 10 kilogrammes and are in some cases as small as a shoebox - is expected to explode in the next few years. And China's rocket entrepreneurs reckon there is no better place to develop inexpensive launch vehicles than their home country. REUTERS/ SEARCH "SHOEBOX CHINA" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: SPACE-EXPLORATION/CHINA-STARTUPS

A U.S. border patrol vehicle drives past a prototype for U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed wall demolished to make way for a new section of actual border fencing near San Diego, California, as seen from Tijuana, Mexico February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Duenes TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A U.S. border patrol vehicle drives past a prototype for U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed wall demolished to make way for a new section of actual border fencing near San Diego, California, as seen from Tijuana, Mexico February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Duenes

The Renault logo is seen on its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

The Renault logo is seen on its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

The Renault logo is seen on its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Renault presents its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Renault presents its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Renault presents its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Renault presents its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Renault presents its EZ-PRO concept vehicle at a media preview at Renault's R&D centre in Guyancourt, France, September 13, 2018, ahead of its presentation of the electric self-driving van for urban environments at the Hanover truck show. The EZ-PRO can travel in convoy without human drivers and doubles as a pop-up store, food truck or delivery vehicle and is the second of three autonomous EZ prototypes Renault has said it will display this year. Picture taken September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

An agent faces Mexico while standing by the vehicle of U.S. President Donald Trump at the border near San Diego, California, where Trump reviewed wall prototypes designed to serve as a protective barrier against illegal immigrants, drugs and smuggled weapons, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The dashboard of a prototype e.Go Life city car of Germany's electric car startup e.GO Mobile AG, that develops and produces electric vehicles, is seen in the showroom of the production engineering cluster of the RWTH Aachen Campus, Germany's largest engineering university, in Aachen, Germany March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

Guenther Schuh chief executive of Germany's electric car startup e.GO Mobile AG, that develops and produces electric vehicles, is pictured at the prototype assembly line at the production engineering cluster of the RWTH Aachen Campus, Germany's largest engineering university, in Aachen, Germany March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

A prototype of an e.Go Mover, an all purpose self-driving minibus of Germany's electric car startup e.GO Mobile AG, that develops and produces electric vehicles, is pictured in the prototype assembly line of the production engineering cluster of the RWTH Aachen Campus, Germany's largest engineering university, in Aachen, Germany March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

An e.Go Life city car of Germany's electric car startup e.GO Mobile AG, that develops and produces electric vehicles, is seen in the prototype assembly line of the production engineering cluster of the RWTH Aachen Campus, Germany's largest engineering university, in Aachen, Germany March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

Two e.Go Life city cars of Germany's electric car startup e.GO Mobile AG, that develops and produces electric vehicles, are pictured in the prototype assembly line of the production engineering cluster of the RWTH Aachen Campus, Germany's largest engineering university, in Aachen, Germany March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

Product Specialist Chersti Rydning poses next to Acura RDX Prototype vehicle during Press Days of the North American International Auto Show at Cobo Center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook

Ogi Redzic, Senior Vice President of Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services for Renault-Nissan Alliance, has a conversation with a Nissan IDS prototype vehicle during a Nissan keynote address at the 2017 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

Nissan IDS prototype vehicle is displayed on stage during a Nissan keynote address at the 2017 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

A Nissan BladeGlider electric prototype vehicle is displayed during the 2017 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

Chris Urmson, Director of the Self Driving Cars Project at Google, speaks to the media during a preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California, U.S. on September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo

Chris Urmson, Director of the Self Driving Cars Project at Google, speaks to the media during a preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California September 29, 2015. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo

Chris Urmson, director of the Self Driving Cars Project at Google, speaks during a preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California, U.S., September 29, 2015. To match Special Report AUTOS-DRIVERLESS/ REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo

The rear of a Lexus SUV equipped with Google self-driving sensors is seen during a media preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California, U.S., September 29, 2015. To match Special Report AUTOS-DRIVERLESS/ REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo

Video captured by a Google self-driving car, inset, is coupled with the same street scene as the data is visualized by the car during a presentation at a media preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California, in this file photo taken September 29, 2015. To match Insight AUTOS-AUTONOMOUS/INFRASTRUCTURE REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/Files

The Honda Civic Hatchback Prototype vehicle is seen during the media preview of the 2016 New York International Auto Show in Manhattan, New York March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The Honda Civic Hatchback Prototype vehicle is seen during the media preview of the 2016 New York International Auto Show in Manhattan, New York March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

People take photos of the Honda Civic Hatchback Prototype vehicle as a journalist broadcasts during the media preview of the 2016 New York International Auto Show in Manhattan, New York March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

A woman takes a photo of the Honda Civic Hatchback Prototype vehicle during the media preview of the 2016 New York International Auto Show in Manhattan, New York March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

File photograph shows the rear of a Lexus SUV equipped with Google self-driving sensors during a media preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Mountain View, California September 29, 2015. Britain said on March 12, 2016 it will begin trialling driverless cars on motorways for the first time in 2017, as it moves towards its goal of allowing autonomous cars to take to the streets by 2020. Finance minister George Osborne will announce plans on Wednesday to test vehicles on motorways and say the government will bring forward proposals to remove regulatory barriers to the technology, the Treasury said. Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O unit Google wants to eventually be able to deploy fully autonomous vehicles without human controls, and major automakers are racing to develop vehicles that can drive themselves at least part of the time. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/Files

File photograph shows video captured by a Google self-driving car coupled with the same street scene as the data is visualized by the car during a presentation at a media preview of Google's prototype autonomous vehicles in Moutain View, California, September 29, 2015. Britain said on March 12, 2016 it will begin trialling driverless cars on motorways for the first time in 2017, as it moves towards its goal of allowing autonomous cars to take to the streets by 2020. Finance minister George Osborne will announce plans on Wednesday to test vehicles on motorways and say the government will bring forward proposals to remove regulatory barriers to the technology, the Treasury said. Alphabet Inc GOOGL.O unit Google wants to eventually be able to deploy fully autonomous vehicles without human controls, and major automakers are racing to develop vehicles that can drive themselves at least part of the time. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/Files

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

People look at the BMW 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

People look at the interior of the BMW 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

People look at the BMW 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. At 3rd L is Harald Krueger, Chief Executive of BMW. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder

BMW presents the 'Vision Next 100' concept car during centenary celebrations at the Olympic Hall in Munich, southern Germany March 7, 2016. REUTERS/Michael Dalder